Byline: Nguyen Le

There won’t be dragons or galaxies here.
Films are often known for their escapism nature, but the destination of the escape doesn’t have to be fantastical or visualize a what-if scenario. Media production junior and budding filmmaker Brian Kizzee is set to test this theory when his directorial debut, the short film...

A Québécois and a Parisienne meet in a bar—in French Morocco during World War II, no less.
Even without switching the nationalities, viewers of “Allied” will have a hard time not thinking about Ilsa Lund and Rick Blaine’s classic encounter 74 years ago. While director Robert Zemeckis’ latest patently aspires to be...

For this “Reel Mood of the Week,” all sorts of fights are brewing in these characters’ lives. It’s up to you to pick which one to witness (and hope for the best possible outcome).
“Bleed for This”
Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller) is a fire in the ring and off, as his nickname “The Pazmanian Devil” can prove. His winning...

J.K. Rowling has revealed herself to be a superb Scribomagus.
OK, so that wasn’t an actual magical ability in the Wizarding World, but the point is Rowling has indeed performed a flawless transformation from novelist to screenwriter. In other words, the “Harry Potter” author’s feature script debut is more Gillian...

For this “Reel Mood of the Week,” seek out three different kinds of encounters and see how the varying characters will handle them.
“Arrival”
As a wise wizard once said, “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.” When...

A first encounter of the most stellar kind.
In a case of life imitating art, this is also the director’s first contact with the sci-fi genre. Yet, with the same level of expertise in cinematic storytelling as the main character in analyzing languages, Denis Villenueve has made a film so personal, stimulating...

Four different productions will come to theaters this weekend to demonstrate that it takes a battle to build upon who you really are.
“Doctor Strange”
No, “Guardians of the Galaxy” isn’t the weirdest production that Marvel has for the world. When a car accident mangled the hands of surgeon Stephen Strange (Benedict...

Cinematic sensuality, dear “Fifty Shades” franchise, is impactful in how the director portrays it and not through sticky, pre-release headlines.
“The Handmaiden,” director Park Chan-wook’s latest tableau of vivid and borderline-sickening depravity, is a film that deserves to be in your collection. Despite frequent dips...

An Oscar win, a sidekick to Tom Hanks and a “Star Wars” heroine—it seems like Felicity Jones’ career is on fire.
This weekend, the British actress will appear in “Inferno,” the third art-infused conspiracy thriller from Dan Brown. In the role of Dr. Sienna Brooks, she will accompany Hanks’ character, a now-amnesiac...

The sole thing the first “Ouija” established was a bar so low that the sequel had no choice but to raise it.
As if knowing the task is too easy, director Mike Flanagan—who has contributed to the genre with “Absentia,” “Oculus” and “Hush”—chose to become an over-achiever. He and frequent writer Jeff Howard have given...